#137 - Eric Kozlowsky Interview (Tropical Freeze, Retro Studios, Art, Metroid Dread, Graphics, Layoffs etc.)

Eric Kozlowsky is an artist who has worked at multiple game studios and is most well known for his short but important tenure at Retro Studios on Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze. He is currently Art Director at Fuzzybot.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

TWITTER -@vonkoz

INSTAGRAM - @von_koz

ARTSTATION - https://www.artstation.com/vonkoz

WEBSITE - https://www.landofkoz.com/

 

#tropicalfreeze #nintendo #retrostudios

 

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Intro

01:00 - Deadlines/Crunch

03:30 - Early Days At Retro Studios

06:00 - Working On Mangroves For Tropical Freeze

07:40 - Intimidation Factor/Camaraderie At Retro

09:20 - Eric’s Collaboration With Ted Anderson On Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze

12:31 - Eric’s Work On Windmill Hills

14:55 - Working On Rodent Ruckus

15:46 - Crunch At The End Of Tropical Freeze/Meltdown Mayhem/Destructive Terrain

17:29 - Working With Tanabe

19:40 - Tropical Freeze Levels Being Worked On Out Of Sync/Creating & Working With A Kit

23:59 - Learning From Your Peers/Nintendo Doesn’t Let You Share RAW Files

27:00 - Why Eric Left Retro Studios

29:10 - Eric Is Gutted He Isn’t Working On Metroid Prime 4/Eric Wasn’t A DK Fan Until Working On Tropical Freeze

30:40 - Eric’s Thoughts On Metroid Dread/Super Metroid

33:40 - Pacing In Games/Artist’s Should Understand Basic Design

34:40 - Layoffs In The Industry/Why Eric Moved From Studio To Studio

38:18 - Fans Starting False Rumours When Eric Started At Retro/Being Adaptable

39:30 - Retro Studios Staff Laughing At Stupid Rumours/Wrong Expectations Affected Tropical Freeze

40:30 - Differences Between Stylised & Realistic Graphics

45:00 - Eric Struggles To Stay Up With With Technology/Tunic/Having A Critical Eye

46:50 - Eric Tries To Be Broader Than Just Games/Looking At The Source

48:54 - Catch The Essence But Not Have Direct Influences/Link’s Awakening Rip Off Indie Game

50:40 - Trying To Stay Up With Artists He Mentors/Some Artists Shouldn’t Be Directors

52:40 - Keep Your Skills Sharp As An Artist/Having Tunnel Vision With Art Sometimes

55:00 - Where To Follow Eric Kozlowsky

55:57 - Eric’s Book Arma